Compound hooks are generally known in the fishing art, and examples may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,265,370; 3,002,310; 2,796,695; 2,621,438; 454,581; and 279,206. In such compound fish hooks, generally two and sometimes three hooks are employed. In most instances, and particularly when three hooks are employed, externally applied sleeves or other structures are utilized to confine the motion of the hooks relative to each other. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,370, clips are employed to hold the respective shank portions of the hooks in a predetermined alignment. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,796,695, a sleeve is telescoped over the respective shank portions of the hooks for a similar purpose. In U.S. Pat. No. 454,581, the connectors of each hook are confined to movement about a single axis by mounting the hooks to a pin or shaft such that there is but one degree of movement permitted for each hook.
When the respective hooks of a compound fish hook assembly are secured together for limited movement a fish is able to tear loose from the hook and this is particularly true where all of the hooks are forced to move as a unit. Thus, there remains a need for a simple yet effective compound fish hook assembly.